Netanyahu and Mike Huckabee in Shilo
Netanyahu and Mike Huckabee in ShiloSpokesperson

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu blasted the Blue and White party on Tuesday during a visit to the ruins of the biblical city of Shilo, warning that if the center-left party wins next month’s elections, the next government will expel thousands of Jews from Judea and Samaria.

“We are in the territory of our homeland,” said Netanyahu during his visit to the site of the ancient city of Shilo, near the modern Israeli town of the same name. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee joined Netanyahu at the event, which was attended by local settlement leaders.

“This speaks to us, this is in our soul, and it is reflected in our policies and the work we do together. I think there is a real danger here, however. Lapid and Gantz are still held captive to the idea that the only way to secure the future of the State of Israel is to shrink it, to uproot 80,000 to 90,000 Jews, keep our heads down, and home that the Arabs will recognize Israel.”

“I’m working in exactly the opposite direction, towards strengthening Israel in terms of security, economically, and in foreign relations. We developing ties around the world, including with the Arab world. This will take time, it will be a struggle, but it is the opposite approach [to Gantz and Lapid’s]. They want a future based on vulnerability, we want a future based on strength. The choice here is very clear.”

During his visit to the Shilo area, roughly 20 dozen women from Shilo and nearby Israeli towns gathered to protest against the ongoing investigation of settlement security guards in connection with their response to an attack near the town of Adei Ad in January.

“The security teams are our bullet proof vest,” said one sign held up by a protester. “Soldiers - not criminals”, read another sign.”

On Saturday, January 26th, a mob of Arab rioters attacked an Israeli man who went out for a walk near the Israeli town of Adei Ad, near Shilo. The victim was beaten and stabbed during the attack, but eventually managed to escape and call for help.

When local security guards headed to the scene of the attack in response, they were attacked by dozens of Arabs who hurled stones and pieces of metal.

After the guards opened fire in self-defense, one of the attackers, Hamdi Nasan, was killed. Nasan, a Fatah terrorist who had been jailed by Israel in 2000 for his involvement in a series of terror attacks, was granted early release in 2007 as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinian Authority.

נתניהו בשילה הקדומה: גנץ ולפיד יעקרו עשרות אלפי יהודים